Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking a fair probe into the corruption allegations leveled by him against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.
Singh, in his petition, has sought 'unbiased, uninfluenced, impartial and fair investigation in the alleged corrupt malpractices of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh'. He also sought quashing of order transferring him claiming it to be "arbitrary" and "illegal".
"The transfer of the petitioner in the aforesaid circumstances though claimed to be for administrative exigencies, is for reasons smeared with malice, when there is no iota of material or evidence – far from proof – found or even imputed against the petitioner, and is solely based on conjectures, surmises and pure speculation despite no detail of any sort against the petitioner having been noticed by anybody. Such mala fide transfer is in violation of Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India, in teeth of the law laid down by this Hon’ble Court in T.S.R. Subramanian v. Union of India, reported in (2013) 15 SCC 732, and in clear non-compliance with the provisions of Indian Police Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954 as amended in 2014," the petition states.
Sharad Pawar defends Anil Deshmukh
Param Bir Singh's petition came almost simultaneously with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar's press conference in New Delhi during which the veteran leader came out in support of Anil Deshmukh. Pawar said there was no question of removing Anil Deshmukh from the Home Minister's chair.
ALSO READ: Sharad Pawar strongly defends his minister facing corruption allegations
Pawar said that Anil Deshmukh was in hospital recuperating from Covid at the time he had allegedly met disgraced assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze to discuss the 'extortion racket.'
"Anil Deshmukh was in hospital during that period. So the question does not arise about the resignation," Pawar said in response to a question.
Former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh set off a major row on Saturday when he alleged that Deshmukh had asked suspended Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore from Mumbai's restaurants, bars and hookah bars.
Vaze was arrested by the NIA, which is probing the recovery of an explosives-laden vehicle from outside the south Mumbai residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani last month and also the alleged murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran, the purported owner of that SUV.
ALSO READ: Shiv Sena throws its weight behind troubled NCP leader Anil Deshmukh, rules out his resignation
